England - the third round

[Wallpaperman]

Me too mate. I barely slept last night !

I told you: Courage and to keep the faith.

Never in doubt, but my forecast of 27-18 was a little short on the accuracy front.

We'll forgive you this time.

Definitely !!

[bruce]

First try - I don't see an issue with it. The ref gave plenty of time for a quick word with the team. Signalled to Eng that the clock was going back on then about 10-15 secs later blew the whistle to restart and which point Biggar took advantage of the majority of the Eng choosing to ignore the ref and continue having a drinks break.

The second try - I thought was more controversial, with what I think was a clear knock on. Although that could be my lack of understanding of the laws.

[francoisfou]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

[Wallpaperman]

I feel much better now.

.

Mate, I'm positively dancing on the ceiling. We just put 4 tries past England; this feels as good as the 30-3 win. And if the English press are going to spend the next week moaning about the ref, so much the better.

I was in the Westgate (now shut) for the 30-3 game, with my brothers. An awesome occasion. I watched today’s game without alcohol while my wife and kids watched Netflix in the other room. Still a superb feeling after that match though. Not sure if Wales have ever scored 40 points against England before.

[Sandydragon]

First try - I don't see an issue with it. The ref gave plenty of time for a quick word with the team. Signalled to Eng that the clock was going back on then about 10-15 secs later blew the whistle to restart and which point Biggar took advantage of the majority of the Eng choosing to ignore the ref and continue having a drinks break.

The second try - I thought was more controversial, with what I think was a clear knock on. Although that could be my lack of understanding of the laws.

I wouldn't have complained if the second try had been disallowed, but it was the right call from what I can tell. The 4 officials took long enough to review the footage.

The first try was harsh, but as Stephen Jones has just written in the Times, the defending team can't dictate the pace of the game and the English were very leisurely in their approach.

[Sandydragon]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

Lets hope it isn't cancelled. There's a report in the Western Mail that the French government aren't happy with the covid outbreaks and are threatening to withdraw the team. I hope that's just political posturing.

[normanski]

Me too mate. I barely slept last night !

I told you: Courage and to keep the faith.

Never in doubt, but my forecast of 27-18 was a little short on the accuracy front.

We'll forgive you this time.

Thanks! To celebrate our big win against 15 men on the field I opened a bottle of 2017 Full Fifteen by McPherson from South East Australia.

15 per cent alcohol and strong enough to slow my heart rate. Now into a 15 year old Remy Martin brandy in anticipation of a great game in Paris. Cheers.

[normanski]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

I told you we would win. Watch out for the reds in Paris!

[normanski]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

Lets hope it isn't cancelled. There's a report in the Western Mail that the French government aren't happy with the covid outbreaks and are threatening to withdraw the team. I hope that's just political posturing.

That was just some French sports minister posturing before the retreat. She will be over ruled by Napoleon Macron who sees French national pride and a Grand Slam at stake.

[normanski]

First try - I don't see an issue with it. The ref gave plenty of time for a quick word with the team. Signalled to Eng that the clock was going back on then about 10-15 secs later blew the whistle to restart and which point Biggar took advantage of the majority of the Eng choosing to ignore the ref and continue having a drinks break.

The second try - I thought was more controversial, with what I think was a clear knock on. Although that could be my lack of understanding of the laws.

I wouldn't have complained if the second try had been disallowed, but it was the right call from what I can tell. The 4 officials took long enough to review the footage.

The first try was harsh, but as Stephen Jones has just written in the Times, the defending team can't dictate the pace of the game and the English were very leisurely in their approach.

Three England players were walking lethargically to the blind side and two, including Ford, were walking to the open side. They all thought Biggar was taking a pot at goal. Most of these five players weren’t even following the play and they were caught napping.

Biggar did virtually the same thing against England in the RWC warm up game in Cardiff two years ago. They had been warned!

[Sandydragon]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

Lets hope it isn't cancelled. There's a report in the Western Mail that the French government aren't happy with the covid outbreaks and are threatening to withdraw the team. I hope that's just political posturing.

That was just some French sports minister posturing before the retreat. She will be over ruled by Napoleon Macron who sees French national pride and a Grand Slam at stake.

Hopefully. It would forever be a devalued grand slam otherwise (assuming we beat Italy).

[francoisfou]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

I told you we would win. Watch out for the reds in Paris!

Grand Slam decider!!!

[normanski]

Great result for English rugby and with France up next, I’m already looking forward to it!!! Allez les bleus !!

I told you we would win. Watch out for the reds in Paris!

Grand Slam decider!!!

That would be the way we would like to win it.

I said before the Ireland game that I thought this was like the 2019 Grand Slam year (but game order reversed) and that seems to be the case.

We’re building and the momentum is with us.

[Sandydragon]

Don’t you just love it when everyone writes us off and we win silverware? Winning in Paris is a huge ask and we are firmly underdogs. But I think our expectations for this campaign were not to come last and preferable not come fifth. We’ve smashed through that so anything is possible.

[Sandydragon]

Don’t you just love it when everyone writes us off and we win silverware? Winning in Paris is a huge ask and we are firmly underdogs. But I think our expectations for this campaign were not to come last and preferable not come fifth. We’ve smashed through that so anything is possible.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Sweet. That was a joy (apart from the times when I couldn't bear to watch). Bonus point win. 40 points against England. Triple Crown after a write-off 2020. Totally sweet.

I think the first try was dodgy, not really fair to England. But the second, in slow-mo it wasn't a knock-on, so that was fine. Lucky, but fine. Loved our composure. Loved Sheedy's goalkicking. Loved the clinical-ness of our play. The Grand Slam is on.

[Hooky]

I would be furious if the first try was allowed against Wales. I would feel hard done by with the second.

[normanski]

I would be furious if the first try was allowed against Wales. I would feel hard done by with the second.

I wouldn’t be furious if our dozy backs switched off expecting a penalty shot at goal, took an unofficial water break and then the opposition scored a very smart try.

They had 22 seconds to get themselves sorted and three English players had strung out on the blind side but only two, including Ford, were ambling back into the line on the open side still quite close to the posts. They had their backs to the penalty taker and the ref raised his arm, said time on and then blew his whistle to restart the game.

it was a quick piece of thinking by Biggar and Adams - probably preplanned.

England, especially Daly, switched off again for Hardy’s tap penalty and try. You could argue that many of the English weren’t up to speed for international rugby having played so little hard and competitive games.

Our second try was a thing of beauty! LRZ knocked the ball down onto his leg, it then went backwards and the sliding Slade hit it forward with his knee before it hit the ground. No knock on and a great opportunistic try for Williams. The on-field decision was try, The assistant ref said try and then that was confirmed by the TMO.

We rode our luck and came away with a winning bonus point. Celebrate a remarkable victory.

[Hooky]

I would be furious if the first try was allowed against Wales. I would feel hard done by with the second.

I wouldn’t be furious if our dozy backs switched off expecting a penalty shot at goal, took an unofficial water break and then the opposition scored a very smart try.

They had 22 seconds to get themselves sorted and three English players had strung out on the blind side but only two, including Ford, were ambling back into the line on the open side still quite close to the posts. They had their backs to the penalty taker and the ref raised his arm, said time on and then blew his whistle to restart the game.

it was a quick piece of thinking by Biggar and Adams - probably preplanned.

England, especially Daly, switched off again for Hardy’s tap penalty and try. You could argue that many of the English weren’t up to speed for international rugby having played so little hard and competitive games.

Our second try was a thing of beauty! LRZ knocked the ball down onto his leg, it then went backwards and the sliding Slade hit it forward with his knee before it hit the ground. No knock on and a great opportunistic try for Williams. The on-field decision was try, The assistant ref said try and then that was confirmed by the TMO.

We rode our luck and came away with a winning bonus point. Celebrate a remarkable victory.

Agree about Biggar and Adams. However, I think they're justified in feeling miffed with the ref. He asked Farrell to talk to his players, which is why they were not properly set. He didn't give him sufficient time in my view.

[normanski]

I would be furious if the first try was allowed against Wales. I would feel hard done by with the second.

I wouldn’t be furious if our dozy backs switched off expecting a penalty shot at goal, took an unofficial water break and then the opposition scored a very smart try.

They had 22 seconds to get themselves sorted and three English players had strung out on the blind side but only two, including Ford, were ambling back into the line on the open side still quite close to the posts. They had their backs to the penalty taker and the ref raised his arm, said time on and then blew his whistle to restart the game.

it was a quick piece of thinking by Biggar and Adams - probably preplanned.

England, especially Daly, switched off again for Hardy’s tap penalty and try. You could argue that many of the English weren’t up to speed for international rugby having played so little hard and competitive games.

Our second try was a thing of beauty! LRZ knocked the ball down onto his leg, it then went backwards and the sliding Slade hit it forward with his knee before it hit the ground. No knock on and a great opportunistic try for Williams. The on-field decision was try, The assistant ref said try and then that was confirmed by the TMO.

We rode our luck and came away with a winning bonus point. Celebrate a remarkable victory.

Agree about Biggar and Adams. However, I think they're justified in feeling miffed with the ref. He asked Farrell to talk to his players, which is why they were not properly set. He didn't give him sufficient time in my view.

How many times have we seen captains being told to talk to players and they do in a few seconds. All the players are involved and following what’s happening in the game and it only needs a few words like ‘more discipline chaps or somebody is going to the bin’ from the captain.

The more you look at it, the more it is apparent England switched off expecting a pot at goal and they were standing uselessly in a melee around the water carriers who had no ‘official’ business there anyway.

Farrell’s argument that the water carriers hadn’t left the field doesn’t hold water!

Play continues when Physios attend players when they go down - even kicks at goal are taken with water carriers and physios on the field.

[Sandydragon]

Refereeing decisions have gone against us before and it sucks but that’s life. The English were obviously expecting a shot at goal. The body language and speed from the end of their huddle was of players who had accepted a three pointer and weren’t expecting the try.

I did think the second try a knock on at the time. But four officials gave it a good look and decided it wasn’t.

Nigel Owens argues that both should have been disallowed but then he awarded a very dodgy winning try to England in the autumn so all refs judge events differently.

And we would have had six points anyway given the penalty advantages we had both of which were very kickable. We would have won by 8 rather than 16.

England were level and they lost the game by their indiscipline.

[Sandydragon]

In other news, Sonia the pitch side journalist has received a lot of abuse following her post match interviews. I don’t condone blind abuse at all. However, many of us on here wrote at the time that the questions she asked were plain stupid, directed at the wrong people or were trying to illicit a major response. Hopefully the abuse doesn’t mask the fact that she was awful and the whole end game questioning routine needs a rethink. At least let players, and managers, catch their breath before the hostile questions begin.

[Sandydragon]

Any thoughts on JD2 at 12? He seemed quietly effective from what I remember; not sure this is a long term solution and we really should be giving Jonny Williams game time.

[Sourdust]

In other news, Sonia the pitch side journalist has received a lot of abuse following her post match interviews. I don’t condone blind abuse at all. However, many of us on here wrote at the time that the questions she asked were plain stupid, directed at the wrong people or were trying to illicit a major response. Hopefully the abuse doesn’t mask the fact that she was awful and the whole end game questioning routine needs a rethink. At least let players, and managers, catch their breath before the hostile questions begin.

I was really angry at her interviews. I thought Farrell in particular was heroic in refusing to be tempted, and my opinion of him has gone way up. It's a journalist's job to ask tough questions, but not to repeatedly goad players & coaches into saying something which will get them in serious trouble.

There's no excuse for giving her direct abuse on social media or wherever. That said, what she herself reported didn't seem abusive to me. Being told that your disgraceful behaviour is disgraceful is not "abuse". Of course she may have kept more personal, out-of-order comments to herself; I imagine that's the case if she's genuinely upset. I'd easily believe that she also copped a lot of misogynistic crap that she absolutely should not have to deal with. It's just that I haven't actually seen any of it.

[Sandydragon]

The media seem to be largely blaming the ref.